5 Takeaways: Richland dominates Solen in Jamestown Holiday Classic
The first game of the Jamestown Holiday Classic went entirely the way of Richland as the Colts jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first 43 seconds and cruised to a 87-36 win behind four double figure scorers including 21 points from Carter Lingen.
Here are five takeaways from the contest:
Richland’s athleticism was too much for Solen to handle
It took all of 43 seconds to realize just how superior Richland’s outfit is this season in relation to Solen. The Colts have a bigger, faster and simply more athletic group from top to bottom. It started with their press which cause issues early and often for the Sioux. It extended the glass where Richland consistently earned second-chance opportunities on the offensive end when it didn’t hit the first shot attempt. That leads to…
Richland’s shooting was on display throughout the game
The Colts have a number of talented shot-makers in their lineup and if teams are going to play zone against them, they’ll have to be a heck of a lot more active running the Colts off the 3-point line because they’ve got a number of guys capable of burning teams from deep. They hit 10 triples in the first half alone.
Carter Lingen was efficient and explosive
Lingen, a junior guard from Richland, finished the game with 21 points with five made 3-pointers and double-digit assists. He didn’t have to work real hard for his first 15 points which came via wide open triples but he’s also tough to account for because he’s got deep range and a quick release. When he has space and time to set his feet, he’s going to knock down a healthy percentage of his shots. He’s also smart and did a great job probing when Solen did run him off the line and his ability to get teammates open looks in transition and in the halfcourt.
Solen’s lack of size was apparent
The Sioux have to have one of the smallest teams in Class B. Not only don’t the Sioux have a true big man or much size on the wings, they have extremely short guards. Ezekiel Tiger and Trevion Two Hearts are both 5-foot-8 and Keenan Yellow Hammer is 5-foot-11. Those are the three guys who handle a lion’s share of the offensive load and on Saturday, they had to work so hard to create looks. Richland left the middle of the floor completely wide open while deploying a 2-3 zone but the Sioux never looked to the part of the floor. For them, it makes sense because they really don’t have guys that are built to succeed in traffic. Fortunately for them, there aren’t a lot of teams with the kind of size and athleticism Richland has in spades.
What’s Richland’s ceiling?
Richland won 14 games last year but got blown out in an early round game of the region tournament. The Colts look legit this year on eye test but Saturday’s game isn’t one worth analyzing real deeply with a grand-scheme approach. They were clearly superior to Solen – a team that is clearly down after last season – and things came a lot easier than they will against teams that can contend in Region 1. But the Colts have some real nice-looking pieces including Lingen, Colten Evanson, Gavin Reiland and Hunter Lentz. It’ll be interesting to see how the rest of their season progresses when the competition picks up.